Callum Elson

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Callum Elson
Personal information
NationalityGreat Britain
Born (1998-12-31) 31 December 1998 (age 25)
Alma materCollingwood College, Durham (BA)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventMile
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
800m 1:49.87 (Watford, 2023)
1500m 3:35.39 (London, 2023)
One Mile 3:58.74 (Philadelphia, 2023)
3000m 8:15.64 (Leeds, 2021)
5000m 13:52.76 (Philadelphia, 2022)
10,000n 30:11.87 (Leeds, 2021)
One Mile Road: 3:56.41 (Riga, 2023)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
World Road Running Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Riga Mile

Callum Elson (born 31 December 1998) is a British middle-distance and cross-country runner. He won a silver medal in the road mile at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga.[1]

Career[edit]

A Cambridge and Coleridge athlete,[2] Elson ran as a youngster and finished 16th in the English Schools Cross Country Champs in 2017, but while at the University of Durham concentrated on playing football and only began running seriously again during the COVID-19 Pandemic.[3] He studied for an MBA at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts and returned to the UK having won NCAA division II mile (indoor) and 1500m (outdoor) titles in 2022.[4]

He represented Britain for the first time at the European Cross Country Championships in Turin, Italy in December 2022.[5] In February 2023, he was selected to compete for Great Britain at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, New South Wales.[6]

Elson ran a new area record time of 3:56.41 to win the silver medal in the road mile at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga.[7] He was selected for the 2023 European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in December 2023.[8]

On 18 February 2024, he was runner-up at the 2024 British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, over 1500 metres.[9][10] He was selected for the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.[11]

Personal life[edit]

In the early 2020s, Elson began recording his athletics journey on social media using the moniker "The Distance Project".[12] A football fan, he is a support of Leeds United.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Callum Elson". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Callum Elson Seals Mile Silver at the Inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships". British Athletics. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  3. ^ Henderson, Jason (October 1, 2023). "Surprise package Callum Elson storms to silver in Riga". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  4. ^ Barden, Katy (December 9, 2023). "Callum Elson's project gathers pace". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Callum Elson – switching football boots for running spikes". England Athletics. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  6. ^ Adams, Tim (February 1, 2023). "Great Britain sends 17 athletes to World Cross in Australia". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  7. ^ "World Athletics Road Running Championships 2023: Callum Elson claims silver in Lativa". BBC Sport. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  8. ^ "40-Strong GB & NI Team Brussels Bound for the 2023 European Cross Country Championships". British Athletics. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Results UK Athletics Indoor Championships 2024". Watch Athletics. February 18, 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  10. ^ Henderson, Jason (February 18, 2024). "Jemma Reekie sends a message to World Indoor rivals". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Great Britain and Northern Ireland Squad Selected for Home World Athletics Indoor Champs". British Athletics. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Callum Elson – from footballer to sub-four". Viewsfromtheconcourse. 27 March 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  13. ^ Acipella, Liam (11 January 2024). "Cambridge & Coleridge Athletic Club's Callum Elson sets sights on more glory in 2023 following Great Britain breakthrough". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 11 February 2024.